Process of separating sodium and potassium salts



UNITED '1 OFFICE.

OHRISTOFER G. LEONIS, OF ROCKY FORD, COLORADO.

PROCESS OF SEPARATING SODIUM AND POTASSIUM SALTS.

In Drawing.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Cnursroruu G. Luoms, a. citizen of the United States. residing at Rocky Ford, in the county of Otero and State of Colorado. have invented certain new and useful lmprorrnnems in Processes of Separating Sodium and Potassium Salts. of which the following is a specification.

This invention relat s to a proces f coinpletely sepru'atinu any mixture of smlinn: salts and potussi suits and particularly eflectin such scpaiation in a mixture win-re such so ts exist in the form of more or l(.-i. complicated compounds.

The Bassett prose. of separating sodium and potassium salts, where the salts exist in the form of sulfates, is known but this proo ess cannot be used satisfactorily in many i cases, as for example, in. the separation trcutmerit of the salts of the char from the Steffens waste Water of beet sugar works which contains 60-70 per cent. of carbonates, 2% per cent. of sulfates and 1620 per cent. of

chloride. Furthermore, so far as the applicunt is advised, no satisfactory process of separating sodium and potassium salts, where such salts are in the form of hydroxide or mixtures of hydroxide and. chloride, is known.

In the practice of my process of separat ing sodium and potassium salts, I first elimi note all carbonates and sulfates by treatiu a solution of the salts to be separated with a. solution of a .hydroxid produein reagent comprising! one] calino earth metasuch for example as calcium, strontium or barium oxid or hydroxid. these oxide and hydroxids being equivalents in my process. The details ofpraetice of this operation. including the proportion of reagents, will vary with the composition of the salts to be separated but the particular details of procedure -in earryin out this operation, in eae'h instance, will be well understood by those skilled in the art.

The resulting solution contains the sodium and otassium salts in the form of hydrox- I I ldS f rce from carbonates andmulfates. To this solution T add a chlorid" producing 1'0 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 6, 1919.

Application filed September 11, 1918. Serial No. 258,571.

other ehlorid. referably in the proportion suflicient to transform all of the potassium hydroxid present in the mixture to be sepa ra ted int-o potussimn chlorid. When sodium ehlorid is used. the reaction is believed to hrus follows:

Fiat) H Hit. )l-l+N uUl KUl-l-QNaOIi The pota sium ehlorid is then separated from the resulting mixture preferably by rruicentrating the solution until the potas sium chlorid is 'n'ecipitatr-id. The sodium hydroxid after the removalof the precipirated potassium salt may then advantageously be concentrated.

It is to be understood that I have described. the preferred practice of my process and that such process is not to be regarded as being limited to the details of procedure, except as set fort-l1 in the appended claims.

l -Iuving thus described my invention. I cluimz- 1. The helpin described process of separating sodium and potassium hydroxids which consists in treatin a mixture of so diam and potasium hydiroxids, .free from carbonates and sulfates, with a chlorid produeing reagent and separating potassium chlorid from the resulting solution.

2. The herein described process of'sepa rating sodium and potassium hydroxlds which consists in treating a mixture of sodium and potassium h-ydroxids, free from carbonates and sulfates, with u chlprid and so crating potassium chlorid from the re su, ting solution.

3. The herein described process of se arating sodium and potassium hydroxids which consists in treating a mixture of sodium and potassium hydroxids, free from carbonates and sulfates, with sodium ehlorid and separating potassium ehlorid from the resulting solution.

4. The herein describedprocess of separating sodium and potassium salts contaming carbonates or sulfates which consists in treating a solution containing the mixture with all dl'oxid producin reu, ent com rising an a. kaline earth meta adgin u ch orid and separating potassium chlorif from the resulting mixture.

5. The herein described proces of separating sodium and potassium salts containing carbonates or sulfates which. consists in treating a solution containing the mixture with an alkaline earth metal hydroxid, adding a metallic shim-id and separating potus- 10 slum (.chlorid from the reeulting mixture.

In testimony whereof I eflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HRI SIOFER G. LEONIS. Witnesses:

BnnA RnoniMmYnu, A. M. WHIPPLI'L 

